Author: Stefani DeBord

Hi, I'm Stefani. Here's a few things about me: I am a florist and an artist. But I also like photography, dancing, and writing. I'm a dreamer, I like to explore and go on adventures. Some of my favorite things include quiet places, tea, reading, and indie music. I'm reserved, soft-spoken, but a kid at heart. I find joy in the little things in life, like clouds and birds making music. I believe in God. My daily reminders are to be strong and courageous, be kind, stay curious, and love faithfully.

Hey, it’s been a while. I honestly just temporarily ran out of inspiration & positive encouragement. I have to brainstorm some more but haven’t gotten around to it- maybe I’m only wise to a certain point. I am only 22 years old, after all. Haha!

Anyways, I thought I’d share a little bit of information about my memoir I’m currently working on. It has definitely just started, I’m nowhere near finished but it’s a start. I thought I’d share my thoughts on it, the subject matter & why I write what I’m writing about.

So why do I write?

Well, because I want others to understand and have more knowledge about topics such as abuse that’s not physical or sexual, bullying, sexual harassment, eating disorders & mental health. I want to help people be in the know- so they understand what someone going through these things are dealing with, how traumatic it really is & why they react certain ways because of what they’ve been through.

So they can learn that not all abuse is physical or sexual & that what someone who has suffered through these types of things isn’t easy or any less hurtful, harmful or traumatic just because someone else has “suffered worse than you have” & that their feelings and struggles are valid. That what you’ve suffered through is incredibly hard, more than tough & you suffered.

That if someone thinks you haven’t had it as bad as someone else, not to listen to them. Trauma is trauma and it’s important to not compare to other’s trauma- that makes your struggles feel less than they really are and that’s not true at all. It’s a good step of healing when you recognize that.

I want people to know that & I want people to know you are not alone. That someone goes through these things too & that it’s gonna be ok. You’ll be just fine. You will survive this battle & escape that hell hole- which could even just be your mind- and live again! Healing is possible, I promise. It’s tough and incredibly challenging but it is worth it, so don’t give up!

I want everyone to know this: you’ve survived what were your worst days- days you didn’t think you’d make it through- and you’re still here, strong as ever. You can survive this too.

You are not a mistake. Sometimes I still have suicidal thoughts. Sometimes it lasts for weeks, sometimes it lasts for a day. But it’s there, nonetheless. And I’m still here. And I couldn’t be more proud of myself. But sometimes I’m not proud of myself. It’s confusing. Depression is strange. It can last for a day or months, and often times years. It’s there because of situations that go wrong, feelings and thoughts that go spiraling down.

For me, I start getting depressed, feeling like hurting myself and sometimes get suicidal thoughts if I feel rejected. That’s just a pattern that I’ve noticed. That’s usually how it starts for me. If someone doesn’t want to be my friend anymore, or, in the past before I met my husband, if a boy doesn’t want to date me.

To some these things may seem petty. People have told me that hurting myself over a boy is stupid, that no one is that ridiculous. But that’s not true. Hurting yourself and having suicidal thoughts is no joke. It’s scary and your reason for it may not make sense to some people. But it makes sense to me because I’ve been there, and I understand. The smallest of things would set me off. Things that build up over time. Things that seem petty. And when that final straw hits, the best thing you can do is reach out for help. Help is here for you. You are going to be okay. I know it’s tough. I know you don’t want to reach out, but you were put on this earth for a reason. You are not an accident. You are not a mistake. Please know that you are so so loved.

At the end of the day, you’re human. You make mistakes and that’s ok. Just learn from them. You are blooming and becoming and growing so much.

It’s ok. It’s ok to take time for yourself. Take time to just be. Relax and enjoy the life you have. The little moments. The big moments. The struggles and successes. Celebrate all you’ve done, the good and the bad. Because that bad stuff? It’s shaped you into who you are. It’s something you can learn from, and it’s something you can grow from.

This life you’ve got is not going to be perfect. And it doesn’t have to be.

Maybe you saved a bee from being squished or you graduated college. Both are great accomplishments. Small or big, they are accomplishments nonetheless. Maybe you had a really hard day and you got out of bed, even if it was brief. That’s a great accomplishment. Maybe you had a really hard day and you didn’t get out of bed. That’s ok, you’re doing great.

You may be a work in progress but you’re a wonderful work in progress.

It’s ok not to be ok. You may never be ok and that’s totally fine. But be happy, please try. That’s all I ask of you. Even if it’s small, be happy.

You’ll be just fine. I believe in you. All that’s left is for you to believe in yourself.

In high school, there was someone who I had a huge crush on. One day I asked him if he would date me.

He said, “I would date you if I didn’t already have a girlfriend.”

One year later he was single. So I asked him again if he would date me. He said, “No. We should remain friends.”

Almost immediately after I called my dad, even though school was still in session. I told him, “Dad, I need you to come pick me up right now. I’m going to kill myself and I need to go to the hospital before I do.”

He dropped everything and got to my school in about 40 minutes.

I was at the psych ward in the hospital for a week. I was back at school by Monday. I was embarrassed because the guy I had a crush on probably thought I was a coward. He probably thought I was hiding from him. But he didn’t know the situation.

He didn’t know I struggle with self-harm, that I have struggled since I was 11. He didn’t know I was suicidal. He didn’t know I felt betrayed, and lying about wanting to date me would push me over the edge. He didn’t know how close I was to killing myself. He didn’t know.

He didn’t know that I was actually very brave. He didn’t know I reached out for help. He didn’t know how strong I was, and that it took everything in me to admit I needed to go to the hospital. He didn’t know that I didn’t want help, but there was a tiny part of me, the smallest part of me that knew I needed help.

He doesn’t know I’m married now. He doesn’t know I no longer struggle with self-harm or suicidal thoughts and actions. He doesn’t know that God saved my life. He doesn’t know that the last time I wanted to kill myself I was 19 and I had a thorough plan, but my husband (boyfriend at the time) found out and talked me out of it for over 5 hours, straight. He doesn’t know that the only reason my husband found out was because I reached out for help.

Life is so worth living. Life is full of ups and downs but it doesn’t have to be perfect for you to be happy. Life is rewarding in so many ways. There is hope, there is love, there is so many people who care for you. When you’re depressed it’s really hard to see that, but it’s true.

You are brave, you are strong, you are brilliant, you are loving and worthy of love. You are hardship, you are strength, you are courage. You are a warrior, one who has survived battle after battle. You will survive this battle too. So don’t give up. Reach out. Help is here for you.

Hello and good afternoon! Today I want to explain the importance of exploring life outside of your comfort zone, tell you guys what happened to me once I did just that (good things, I promise), and fill everyone in on what my life has been like this past year.

First of all, this year has been the best year so far for me. Here’s a few things that happened to me: I finally decided on a career path; I want to be a florist. To work in a flower shop and eventually move my way over to weddings. So, I started school specifically for this. I’m going to trade schools and such, I’m trying to learn all I can before I get a job in this field. I finish school on my two year anniversary with my fiance in a couple of weeks. I’ll be looking for work next year in San Diego (if anyone knows of anything or any people hiring or accepting internships for florists, let me know please! Much appreciated).

Speaking of my finace… I’m engaged! It happened in September this year. I don’t remember a time where I’ve ever been this happy! It’s really quite amazing.

Now, as for my comfort zone… I’ve always had trouble trying new things, whether it be trying different foods or going to places for the first time or meeting new people. I have tons of anxiety so I’ve kind of cut myself off from anything that’s out of my comfort zone basically all my life.

I went to visit my brother on the other side of the state this past summer. He’s always challenging me to get out of my comfort zone because he knows it’s good for me and that I’ve basically never had to do most of my life. I love visiting him but there was always this part of me that dreaded going to see him because he’ll make me do new things outside of my comfort zone. So, of course when I wasn’t thinking clearly (at least that’s what I told myself) I told him I’d be willing to try most foods he makes me eat as long as it’s not spicy. I’m very picky, so after I told him, I was sure I had made a mistake. But, as it turns out I discovered that I actually like lettuce (just one kind though) and cashews and a few other things I can’t remember right this moment. It was amazing for me and my family to see me do this. During the moment it was terrifying but afterwards I was amazed and it felt awesome being so proud of myself. After that trip I’ve been way more open to new foods than I have ever been in my whole life.

Another thing I’ve been doing this past year is making my own decisions, and understanding that it’s ok to be wrong. I know that people make mistakes and that’s ok as long as you learn from them. But I have a habit of excluding myself from all of this. For example, other people deserve this and that, but not me. It’s ok to cry, but not me. I always give people advice but I need to take my own advice because I never include myself. I think it’s weird and I have no idea when or how this thought process started.

Currently I live with my future in-laws. My fiance’s parents. They’re the best. They’ve helped me grow in so many ways. I am often challenged to make my own decisions, but I’m not left without help. They reassure me that it’s my decision, I’m an adult I can make my own decisions but they’re going to give me advice and what they think I should do and it’s up to me if I want to do it or not. Before I moved in with them, I never knew this. Before, I’ve always looked to my mom or dad for an answer to a question I was asked. And they’d answer for me. It started as a child when I was too scared to speak because I didn’t want to say anything wrong or make someone mad, etc. I let my anxiety get in the way of my speech.

Now, I still have struggles with speaking my mind, and many other things, of course, but I’m doing way better and I’ve grown so incredibly much and it amazes me to think that I used to be completely silent and I wouldn’t speak a word because I couldn’t, and not just because I was scared, but because my fear was so strong my throat would close up and no words could escape me. My family has said that they’ve never seen me talk like I am now-animatedly and excitedly, happily, and now I talk a lot. Which is HUGE. I still don’t talk as much as the average person would but it’s a lot for me.

I still have a lot of things to learn. But I’m getting there; I’m learning and it’s great. And I never thought I’d say that, haha!

If you’ve gotten this far into my post, I applaud you! Now here’s the point, so keep reading:

Getting out of your comfort zone is incredibly difficult and scary. And it can be hard during the moment to understand that it’s ok, what is happening is good, you’re getting out of your comfort zone and that’s great! It takes a lot of strength and courage and willpower to do it. But you can do it. And afterwards? You’ll be amazed and so proud of yourself and others will be too.

Now go out and explore the world around you. You’ll grow way faster by doing so! Staying in your comfort zone your whole life will stop your growth. Seriously! It stopped mine. And now I’m growing so much and I never thought I’d ever be doing the things I’m doing now. I never ever thought I’d be who I am today.

Take small steps everyday. You’ll be surprised at what you discover you can do.

Hi! Happy June! It’s June right? Time just kind of flew by. How is everyone? I’ve been pretty absent on here lately.

Well, today I want to talk about this quote I rediscovered today. I first found it around this time last year, and it goes like this:

“This is your world. Shape it or someone else will.”

This quote can mean a lot of things. I feel like people can interpret it a bunch of different ways. But this is how I interpret it:

The first thing I think about is the abuse I suffered and how much my abuser controlled me, whether it be manipulation with her words or how my thinking patterns changed. Because she controlled so much of my life, my life basically revolved around her, i.e., anything and everything I did was to make her happy instead of angry. Granted, she got angry anyways because she always found something to be mad about.

But my point is this: I let her shape my world. She controlled my world with fear, manipulation, anger, etc. I was becoming “the backlash of somebody’s lack of love” (a quote from the song “Brave” by Sara Bareilles). I started to get angry, really angry. I don’t think I lashed out at anyone a lot, most of the time I’d take it out on myself.

I always put her first, and I’d try to the best of my ability to treat her with kindness and love, even though she didn’t treat me that way. And yet I was still called selfish. All the time. I can count four times where I’d snapped at her when I lost control of my anger towards her and my ability to think before I speak, but directly after I’d stay quiet until I knew I could only speak kindly to her to the best of my ability. Because as the saying goes, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

My thinking patterns changed a lot. I had always kind of been the person to put others first and had difficulty saying “no” most of the time. I said “sorry” a lot. All that stuff. But over those five long years of living with her I’d taken all this to the extreme. After being called “selfish” and “annoying” a lot (when I was just trying to be nice), I began to apologize even more, for everything, things I didn’t do because I didn’t want to be selfish so I figured if I could somehow be the one whose to blame, all the time, I won’t be selfish any of the time. If I never tell someone “no” then I’m never selfish because I’m not putting myself first ever and if I let them do whatever they want, then they won’t be mad or upset at me.

On January 1st, 2015 I had a breakdown. After using this “no selfish rule” for most of my life I had finally reached my breaking point. It was super difficult but I managed to talk it out to a few people, and we all decided to work on it together. I would work on putting myself first, saying “no” and to only be sorry when it’s appropriate, and they would help me. I was scared. I still am. But it’s progress.

My boyfriend is constantly reminding me that she’s out of my life now and I don’t have to let her control me. That’s a reminder I think everyone should have.

The second thing I think about, which should probably be first, is God. If you focus on people, and letting them take control over your life, your thoughts, etc. then maybe you aren’t putting God first and letting him take the reins of your life. He has the best plan for you. You may not see it yet and you may go through obstacles. But those obstacles you’re going through? You can handle them with God by your side. God never gives you something you can’t handle.

Walk by faith, not by sight. Let your faith be bigger than your fears.

What does that quote make you think of? The first thing that comes to mind? I’d love to listen and discuss it with you!

Don’t forget to stay strong and courageous! Have the most wonderful June yet!

Some days are really hard. I can’t stop thinking about the past. I feel guilty. I feel angry. And sometimes I think about how much I’ve been hurt and how that has effected the way I think about myself. The weird thing is that sometimes I’ll even do this on purpose to make myself feel bad, because I feel I deserve it.

Sometimes I feel as if I’m just a confused little girl stumbling through this life not knowing what’s she’s doing, where she’s going, or why she’s even going.

A lot of good things have been happening in my life lately, but I can’t help but think about the bad things. Even if sometimes those things are in the past. I feel like that happens to a lot of people, oftentimes we’ll be so focused on the bad that we can’t see the good. Don’t let that happen. Look around you and you will see all the wonderful things happening. They may be small, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t great. And if you still can’t find anything to be grateful for, try this: help others without expecting anything back. Buy a homeless person some lunch, or just have a nice talk with them. They probably don’t get a lot of people to talk to. Smile at someone. You never know what someone else could be going through, so always be kind to them, and help them. You will feel really happy you did, trust me. Here’s a picture that my boyfriend took of me and my beautiful mommy. Mother’s Day is coming up, don’t forget to show how much you appreciate your mom! Have a wonderful day, and Happy (Early) Mother’s Day!

Hello and good morning! I hope you’re all having a happy day! I am, even though I’m sick.

Next month is my 21st birthday, and I wanted to do something special: 21 random acts of kindness (or more) during the month of May. I won’t be drinking alcohol ever so I thought I’d do something else that’s way more awesome.

But I need your help. I have a list of 9 acts of kindness, but I need more. I’d love to have 21 or more, but even if I don’t reach that number, I plan to just repeat the others again and again.

Here’s what I have so far:

Pass out flowers (not roses)

Leave uplifting messages on paper on the tables at restaurants/cafe’s for people to find

Leave “take what you need” papers on poles

Put money in parking meters

Pay for the person behind me in line

Give goodie bags to the homeless, ask for their name and talk with them

But, in other news, I want to tell you a little bit about forgiveness and encouragement.

I’ve noticed in my life that a lot of people are not very forgiving towards others or themselves. And that makes me really sad. Because forgiving is a good thing. Maybe someone did something wrong, and maybe you never got an apology. Or maybe you need to forgive yourself. Well, let me tell you something about forgiveness: When you forgive, it doesn’t excuse their actions, it doesn’t make what they did okay, but it puts you at peace. And that’s super important. So learn to accept the apology you never got, and forgive that person.

It is a process though, sometimes a long one. Try. I’m not saying you should forgive right now. All I’m asking is to please try and start the process. Forgive yourself, and forgive others. It will help you heal.

Now let’s talk about encouragement:

We are all born with the power to help others. Don’t waste it.

So be encouraging, be supportive. Everyone deserves a second chance. Especially to those who are trying to better themselves.

Regardless of what you or others may think, you are extraordinary. Every single one of you.